Cartridge loading tool



Nov. 15, 1938.' c. M. ONEIL CARTRIDGE LOADING TOOL Filed Nov. 14, 1936 Patented Nov. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES` FAT EN? Gi? Fl @E CARTRIDGE LOADING' TOOL Charles M. ONeil, Hopkins, Minn.

Application November 14, 1936,. Serial No. 110,878

Claims. (Cl.V 8623) This invention relates to a tool for loading or loadingV mechanism ofthe class described wherein reloading cartridges such as are used in hunting all workin-g parts are mounted within the rigid' ortargety arms. Such devices are found to some sides of aheavy channel member thus preventing extent for sale on the American market today flexibility of the base frame and of the connec- 53 and utilize a slidable cartridge case carrier which tions between the base of the cartridge case car- ,5. is moved forwardly or rearwardly from a central riage and the repriming. and case retaining mechpositionby suitable means and which has as soanism, as Well as preventing flexibility of the ciated therewith one or more dies which are opparts which connect the operating mechanism erative usually to resize the exterior of the neck and die-holding means with the base frame.

la of the cartridge case and in many instances to A still further object is the provision of a comll)z further resize the interior of the neck of the carpact, ruggedv re-loading tool which will servev all tridgev case by meansof an expanding plug carthe necessary functions including decapping of ried by the die and in many instances to further. the usedv primer, reforming and resizing of the decap-fired primers. cartridge case, repriming of the case and loading 151 Such: devices also are operative through the of` the projectile into the neck of the forward movement of the saine carriage to load the neck endV of the cartridge. of the cartridge shell with the projectile, a dif- These and other objects will be more apparent ferent die being utilized in this case. In addifrom the following description made in connection to the foregoing functions such devices are tion with thev accompanying drawing wherein 2l) operative in many instances` to reprime the carlike reference characters refer to similar parts 20 tridge case through the cooperative rearward throughout the several views, and in which:- movement of the cartridge case carriage and re- Fig. 1 is a. sideelevation of an embodiment of priming mechanism including a priming pin asmy improved cartridge reloading tool showing a sociated with thesaid carriage and having movecartridge Shell OperatVelY DOSOHed fOI reformment relativethereto in the rearward movement ing and resizing the caseas well as for decapping v25 of the carriage. the usedprimer, certain of thedotted lines indi- 'I'he majority of such loading tools now utilized Cating forward: and rearward extreme positions of are not particularly rugged in character and as theoperating lever;

a result are not suitable for full length resizing Fig. 2- is a fragmentary top plan View of the 3o of the cartridge case. This is usually due to the device with the cartridge shell detached from the 3o exibility of the frame and base of the tool and cartridge case carriage;

the connections between the cooperating working Fig. 3 is a cross section taken substantially parts of the tool andthe base. along the line 3--3 of Fig. l, with the adapter Furthermore, suchrreloading tools for the most and die removed; part do not have satisfactory mechanism for as- Fig. lv is a vertical section taken longitudinally 35 suring the alignment ofthe repriming mechanism through the cartridge case carriage and the rewith the primer pocket of the cartridge and obpriming mechanism along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 jection has been found to the complicated primer and showing a cartridge shell operatively held feeding mechanism and the means for actuating in a position to have its rear end reprimed.

4Q the same. Fig. 5v is a top plan view of the primer carrying 4.()

It is an object of my present invention to prosleeve detached,` and vide a much simplified, more compact and strong- Fig. 6 is a detailed horizontal section showing er cartridge loading tool than has heretofore been the lost motion, slot and pin connection between utilized and which may be manufactured at lower the rear-end of the primer carrying sleeve and cost while effectively resizing the full length exthe priming rod.. 45 terior ofthe cartridge case. As shown in the drawing I provide an elon- It is a further object to provide'a cartridge regated heavy base frame 'l of channel construcloading tool which eliminates most of the Working tion having attached to the top of its base porparts formerly required for feeding, progressively, tion and spacedv from the sides thereof a T-rail primers to the repriming mechanism and which 8y which, as shown, is constructed from a pair 50 positively assures perfectl alignment of the reof strips 8a and 8b, rigidly secured to the base of v priming pin with the primer pocket of the carthe channel and symmetrically arranged, the tridge case held in the retaining mea'ns of the upper one 8b of which is wider and overhangs at cartridge case carriage. its longitudinal edges the lower strip 8a.

Another object is the provision of cartridge re- A cartridge case carriage indicated as an en- 55 sleeve Y I 6.

tirety by the numeral 9 is slidably mounted on the T-rail 8 having a T-shaped groove in the base portion thereof which receives the T-rail v8, permitting sliding movement of said Carriage upon the rail in directions longitudinal of the base frame. The forward and upper end of the cartridge case carriage is recessed to receive a detachable U-shaped cartridge retaining member II) similar in general construction to a cartridge extractor utilized in lire arms. This retaining member I0 precisely ts a complementarily shaped groove formed in the recessed upper and forward end of .the case carriage and is retained in place as shown by engagement at one of its ends beneath a removable top plate I I of the carriage and at its other end by a lock screw I2 (see Figs. 1 and 2) which has a retaining head cut on a straight line at one edge to release the engaged end of retaining member I0 when the head is turned to a predetermined position. The top plate I I as shown has a flat under surface which rests against the attened top of the carriage proper and is secured thereto by a pair of clamping screws I3 which screws also secure an upright primer magazine I4 to the top of theV carriage. The primer magazine consists in a narrow tube of oblong cross section having an attachment base Ida which forms a flange having slots formed therein to accommodate the clamping screws I3 and to permit the slotted portions to be rigidly secured to the top of plate II.

Novel and eicient priming mechanism is associated with and carried by the carriage 9. The carriage is provided with a relatively large vertical chamber 9a communicating at its upper end with an opening in the carriage directly back of the retaining member or extractor ID which secures the base of the cartridge case and this chamber 9a. is adapted to communicate with one or more discharge openings I5 formed through the T-rail 8 on which the carriage is mounted and also through the bottom of the base frame to enable removed primers to be discarded. Y

The upper portion of the` carriage proper is drilled horizontally and longitudinally of the carriage to form a cylindrical passagefor receiving a primer carrying sleeve I6 which is slidably mounted in such cylindrical passage for limited movement relative to the carriage. Carrying sleeve I6 has a longitudinal slot I6a formed in its upper portion in which the lower endV of a stop screw II is accommodated, said stop screw limiting the relative movement of the carriage to the sleeve I6 by abutment with the ends of the said slotted portion. Sleeve I B at its forward end is provided with a primer receiving aperture |61)V of proper size and shape to accommodate a single primer disposed edgewise in the vertical magazine I4. The top portion of the carrying sleeve I6 is slotted adjacent the primer receivingY aperture |613 the slots communicating with said aperture to assist in properly feeding the primers as will later be more fully described. Y

A horizontal priming rod I8 is telescoped within the carrying sleeve I6 and is mounted for limited longitudinal movement relative to the carrying Priming rod I8 vextends for some distance rearwardly of the rear end of sleeve I 6 and carries an abutment head as shown of adjustable form comprising an enlarged abutment nut I9 with which is associated a lock nut 20. The forward face of the lock nut 20 is bossed to provide an annular shoulder for receiving a coiled retracting spring 2I which is interposed between said lock nut and the rear of carriage 9, surrounding the carrying sleeve I6. Within the rear portion of retraction spring 2| and snugly surrounding the rear portion of the priming rod is a coil sleeve-projecting spring 22, one end of which abuts the bossed face of the lock nut 20 and the opposite end of which abuts against the rear end of carrying sleeve I 6, the purpose of this spring 22 being to normally project sleeve I6 to its limit of forward movement relative to the priming rod I8 which limit is determined by a lost motion connection between the rod I8 and sleeve I6 in the form of a pin 23 working in opposed limit slots I6c formed in the rear portion of tube I6 as shown clearly in Fig. 6. A stationary abutment in the form of a rigid arm or post 8c, as shown being bent up from the rigid upper plate 8 of the T-rail is positioned to engage the abutment head I9 of the priming pin during the rearward Ylongitudinal movement of the carriage 9 to operate the priming and feeding mechanism in conjunction with the carriage movement.

To prevent accidental dropping of a primer from the forward end of carrying tube I6, in the event of a jar or jerk of the device, I provide suitable means to retain the primer in the sleeve against forward displacement until the sleeve comes in contact, at its forward end with the base of the cartridge case. To this end small inturned detents If are formed at the slotted forward end and upper portion of sleeve I6, the sleeve at this portion having suicient resiliency to enable the primer to be projected from the sleeve and I further provide a light retaining spring 24 of the leaf type anchored to the carriage below sleeve I6 and having a free upper end, the extremity of which normally projects slightly above the inner periphery of the forward end of the sleeve at the bottom thereof. In the rearward movement of the carriage the spring, of course, yields and is disposed below the sleeve in a non-restricting position.

Hand operating means are provided for my tool in the form of a rigid operating lever 26 having an enlarged fulcrum end which is pivotally mounted on a heavy removable pin 21 which is seated and held in the two opposite sides or anges of the rigid channel frame. A pair of rigid links 28 connect the Vrear of the carriage with lever 26 at points on said lever disposed a short distance above the fulcrum pin 2l of the operating lever. The two links 28 as shown are disposed at the side faces of the carriage 9 and are pivotally connected with the carriage by pins or trunnions 29 which receive apertured portions of the links and similarly the rear ends of the links are connected with pins 26a secured to the fulcrum end of lever 26 as shown spaces 2Gb being provided at opposite sides of the lever to hold the lever centrally of the channel base frame and to afford bearing surfaces for the rear ends of the links 28. I prefer to construct the link connections to eliminate the use of bolts, Cotter pins Vand the like and to this end the links are urged V(together and thus retained upon their pivotal connections or trunnions by means of a heavy coil spring 30 which spans the links 28 and has its extremities connected with the two respective links. Y

The mechanism described up to this point is operative in itself to perfectly apply and attach a new primer in the primer pocket in the base of a cartridge case and such operation is performed by the rearward movement of the carriage 9 the rearward movement of the operating lever Z indicated by the dotted linesin Fig. 1.

The forward movementJ of the cartridge case carriage of my tool may be utilized for several purposes, including the resizing of the cartridge case, both externally and 'mternally at the neck and `externally the reforming or resizing of the entire case as well as decapping or removingl a used primer from vthe base of the. case and also loading or applying the projectile to the case. The various dies used for deca'pping the primer, resizing externally and internally the cartridge case and loading the projectile nowon the. market can be utilized with my improved tool and a detailed description of such dies is therefore thought unnecessary. I do, provide, however, a ie holder and adapter having distinct advantages in association and cooperation with the carriage and other working parts of my tool in contrast to similar parts now utilized extensively. Since the dies now commercially available vary in length and in attachment meansand since further my device is devised for loading cartridges of different sizes and caliber, I have found it desirable to provide die holding means including an adapter which will properly hold. dies of various sizes and for various sized cartridgesv in proper operative position for cooperation with the carriage and cartridge retainer. To such end I provide an adjustable block 32, as shown in the form of a short inverted channel member of rigid construction, which block nicely ts between the sides or anges of the channel base frame 1` and which is provided with oppositely aligned apertures in the sides thereof to accommodate a heavy removable retaining pin 33 which also is adapted to pass through any pair of a series of apertures la formed in the opposite walls of the channel base 1. In the top of block 32 is rigidly mounted a U-shaped receiving bracket 32a which is adapted to receive an annularly channeled retaining end which is formed in some dies of the class described. Bracket 32a is likewise constructed to receive a diminished connection portion 34a of an adapter 34 shown in Fig. 1. As shown, the connection portion 34a is provided by means of a headed bolt or the like secured at its inner end to one of the legs of the U-shaped adapter 3d, but of course any suitable connection means having abutments adapted to straddle the front and rear faces of the bracket 32a and of such size as to nest within the U-shaped recessed portion of the bracket may be utilized. A forward depending leg of the adapter 34 is apertured and internally threaded at 34h to receive the externally threaded intermediate portion of certain dies D formed with such an external thread for connection with a die holder, the threaded connection of the die with my adapter serving to retain the die in perfect alignment with the cartridge case connected with the carriage 9, the insertion of the neck and forward portion of the cartridge case serving to perfectly center the parts for die operation on the case. A wide range of adjustment is provided with my die holder and adapter construction. The block 32 may be secured in several different positions relatively to the forward end of the base frame and screw threaded adjustment is provided in some dies having a channeled connection end construction which secures practically micrometer adjustment of the die. When the adapter is used with a die having an externally threaded intermediate portion, screw adjustment is provided in the connection of said portion with the forward depending leg of my adapter 34.

Operation In reloading a fired cartridge case with my tool, the used primer is first expelled and the case resized. These two operations may be simultaneously carried out with my tool, in which instance a suitable die D of conventional type having an expanding plug within the forward end thereof for resizing the interior of the cartridge neck as well as a die forexternally resizing the entire cartridge shell with the exception, of course of the base, is utilized. My die holder and adapter, if the` latter is needed are properly adjusted to position the forward end of the die properly to receive the cartridge case. This is accomplished by inserting a used cartridge case in the die by hand, then swinging the operating lever 26 to fulll forward positionV with the base flange of the cartridge case operatively connected with the retaining member IU to the proper position of the die. The die is then secured to the die holder or adapter as the case may be and lever 2liv is swung back suiiciently from extreme forward position to admit the combined cartridge case and adapter. Subsequent swinging of lever 26 to extreme forward position then completely resizes the exterior surface of the cartridge case as well as resizing internally the neck, and with a de-capping pin applied to the interior of the die, removes the used cap during the resizing operation.

To reprime the cartridge case it is merely necessary to swing the lever 26 backward to extreme rearward position which moves carriage 9 rearwardly and also causes the re-capping rod I8 and primer carrying sleeve I6 to be carried rearwardly with the carriage until the abutment head I9 on the re-capping rod strikes the upturned stationary abutment 8c, at which time the continued rearward movement of the carriage causes relative forward movement on the part of the carrying sleeve I6 which contains a new primer into the forward end of sleeve I6, engages the base of the` cartridge case. Further rearward movement of the carriage in view of the lost motion connection between pin 23 and the carrying sleeve I6 causes the priming rod I8 to project the primer into the primer pocket of the cartridge case while enabling the forward end of the carrying sleeve to continue to engage the portion of the base of the cartridge surrounding the pocket without producing further movement of the sleeve relative to the base of the cartridge. In the repriming movement of the sleeve I'G and the priming rod I8 the priming rod acts as a shut off for the bottom of the primer magazine preventing the next primer from entering the sleeve until the sleeve and priming rod are retracted to the position shown in Fig. 4 which is the feeding position. The next primer resting on the top of the priming rod is accommodated in the narrow slot la formed in the carrying sleeve rearwardly of the primer feed opening.

What is claimed iszl. In a cartridge loading tool, a base frame, a cartridge case carriage mounted for longitudinal sliding movement on said base frame, said carriage having its forward end provided with means fo-r retaining a cartridge shell and automatically fed, repriming mechanism comprising, a primer carrying sleeve mounted in the upper portion of said carriage for limited sliding movement longitudinally of said carriage and being axially aligned with said cartridge case retaining means and having a primer receiving Vopening in` the top portion thereof adjacent its forward end, a primer magazine secured to the top of said carriage and extending upwardly therefrom in communication with the interior of said carrying sleeve in a predetermined position of said sleeve relative to said carriage, a ire-priming pin slidably mounted within said carrying sleeve and axially aligned therewith and means for abutting the outer end of said re-priming pin when the same has been moved by said carriage a predetermined distance rearwardly, whereafter further movement of said carriage rearwardly will cause said carrying sleeve and said re-priming pin to be projected forwardly relative to said carriage.

2. In a cartridge loading tool, a base frame, a

.cartridge case carriage mounted for longitudinal sliding movement on said base frame, said carriage having its forward end provided with means for retaining a cartridge shell-and automatically fed, repriming mechanism comprising, a primer carrying sleeve mounted in the upper portion of said carriage for limited sliding movement longitudinally of said carriage and being axially aligned with said cartridge case retaining means and having a primer receiving opening in the tcp portion thereof adjacent its forward end, a primer magazine secured to the top of said carriage and extending upwardly therefrom in communication With the interior of said carrying sleeve in a predetermined position of said sleeve relative to said carriage, a re-priming pin slidably mounted within said carrying sleeve and axially aligned therewith, means for abutting the outer end of said re-priming pin when said pin has been moved by said carriage a predetermined distance rearwardiy, whereafter further movement of said carriage rearwardly will cause said carrying sleeve and said re-priming pin to be projected forwardly relative to said carriage, a lost motion connection between said carrying sleeve and'said repriming pin permissive of limited relative longitudinal movement of said pin and sleeve, and means for urging said sleeve to its limit of movement forwardly of said pin.

3. The structure set forth in claim 2, and means for urging retraction of said re-priming pin rear- Wardly of said carriage.

4. In a cartridge loading tool, a rectilinear base frame of rigid construction, a cartridge case carria'ge slidably mounted upon said base frame for longitudinal movement thereof, the forward end of said carriage having cartridge retaining means engageable with the base of a cartridge case, an attachment block adapted to be fixed to said frame forwardly some distance of said carriage, said block having an attachment bracket adapted to receive an annularly shouldered member such as a cartridge reforming die, a liftably removable adapter having a rearwardly extending annularly shouldered member adapted to be received and secured to said bracket and having a forward portion internally screw-threaded to receive an externally screw-threaded portion of a die, said adapter having a centrally disposed recess for accommodating the body of the die, said internally screw-threaded portion being axially aligned with the cartridge case retaining means upon said carriage.

5. YThe structure set forth in claim 4, where iny said adapter constitutes a rigid inverted U-shaped member, the forward leg of which rigidly carries an annularly channeled element, and the rearwardleg of which is provided with said internal die-receiving thread, the inverted base of the U being spaced some distance above a die secured to said leg to accommodate the body of said die.

` CHARLES M. ONEIL. 

